Have the Democratic and Republican Parties Failed Us?

Ryan Heshmati

October 11, 2024

Whether one is right or left-leaning, it is time for every American to demand more of the two major parties in this country. Instead of doing their best to improve the United States and represent the interests of voters, the two parties are only focused on selling their brand at the ballot box. While previously discussed, the “no tax on tip” model that Former President Trump debuted (the bandwagon to which Vice President Harris joined shortly after) is a perfect example. The reason for such a proposal is not economics-based. It is politics at its worst: in a tight race like this one, both parties need to pander to hospitality and service workers in places like Nevada. That issue, unfortunately, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Why is the United States, the most powerful and economically prosperous country in the history of the planet, stuck in this position? Both the Democrats and Republicans have brought forward candidates whose contradictions seem to form a list nearly as long as their campaign promises. For Harris, that comes in the form of shifting stances regarding issues like health care and fracking. For Trump, it comes with complete 180 turns, like when he promised a Long Island crowd that he would reverse his own 2017 tax policy that limited deductions for taxpayers in states with high state income tax rates.

Unfortunately, the parties’ problems go well beyond the top of their tickets. In Congress, extreme members of both groups have brought radical rhetoric that only serves to divide and certainly does not represent the country. When the likes of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez claim that billionaires do not “make” but rather “take” their wealth, and when far-right representatives like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene spread unfounded conspiracy theories on hurricanes, they hurt the legitimacy of their parties.

Now, many might argue, “Yes, neither party is perfect, but if we don’t vote Democrat or Republican, our vote won’t matter.” This is a dangerous line of reasoning. Firstly, in the vast majority of states (especially California), one of the major parties is already slated to win the electoral votes. So, if changing the outcome of the election is the standard for a vote to “matter,” it is the same if one votes for the Democrat or Republican in a non-swing state. Further, even if an individual votes for a third-party candidate in a swing state, their vote certainly matters since it sends a message. If enough voters submit votes to the Libertarian Party, as an example, in protest of the direction the Republicans and Democrats are taking the country, the two parties will eventually have to notice and make changes to earn the trust of those voters back. 

With all the problems both parties and their candidates have, it certainly is not unreasonable to be dissatisfied. Both candidates have changed positions in apparent attempts to garner votes, and both parties have radical members in Congress whose words fuel polarization in America. Of course, voting for a candidate not backed by one of the major two parties is not the norm, but voters need to ask themselves an important question at the ballot box this November: is the norm still working?